With Love in Mind
by EclipseFanatic
Summary: I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t alone. I was leaning on the counter with my hands on either side of a girl. I winced thinking that I had decided to go back on my vegetarian diet, until I noticed my smile. Edward's POV, oneshot, Alice's vision.


"I already promised you that I wouldn't interfere with her life! What else do you want from me?" The object of our dispute was the same person it had been for the past couple of weeks. Bella Swan, the one and only human whose blood called to me like a beacon. Just the thought of her scent caused my throat to scorch with thirst.

_We wouldn't have to deal with this if you would just get rid of the problem,_ Rosalie sneered in her thoughts. Gruesome images flashed through her mind of her idea of "solving the problem."

A snarl ripped from my throat at the images now parading through my mind. Images that took all of my being to ward off, for even though I felt that I had my self control in check, at any moment, the scent of her could be too much and I could cave.

"Emmett, control her!" I yelled through clenched teeth. I was trying to rationalize that attacking her was not the best thing to do, that I would regret it later. The thought of putting Isabella Swan in danger dredged up responses from me that I myself could not begin to understand, but I would never admit that to my family.

Emmett placed himself firmly in front of Rosalie. _Don't you dare, Edward,_ he warned me. It was his instinct to protect the one that he loved from danger, a natural reaction. Then something occurred to me, was that not what I was doing with Bella, trying to protect her from harms way? Wasn't that what I had done when I had run from that Biology class or when she was very nearly crushed by Tyler Crowley's van? But it couldn't be _love._ She was just weaker than me, even weaker than most humans, causing me to react protectively, but why her? There were plenty of other weaker humans who got into trouble everyday, and I never felt the urge to throw myself in front of a van for them.

After the fact, I had desperately tried to play it off as protecting the family from being exposed, when in fact; family had been the last thing on my mind. The first and foremost thought had been to save the frail human girl. Why did she have this kind of pull on me?

In the middle of my reverie, Alice got that far away look in her eyes, signaling that she was having a vision. As my head snapped up and I met Alice's eyes with my own, new images started running through my mind.

I was standing in a room, a kitchen; it was very nondescript with a table with a few mismatched chairs. My back was turned towards the door, and I was leaning my hands on the counter. The picture shifted and I was shocked to realize that I wasn't alone. _I was leaning on the counter with my hands on either side of a girl._ I winced thinking that I had decided to go back on my vegetarian diet, until I noticed my smile.

"I promised you that I wouldn't be gone long. I couldn't stand to be away from you another moment," I said.

"I know," the girl sighed, weaving her arms around my neck, "but it didn't stop me from missing you," she said with an emotion in her voice that I couldn't understand.

"As did I," I returned.

"So did you catch anything tasty?" she teased.

"Not as tasty as you," I growled playfully, placing a kiss on her neck as she giggled. I trailed kisses up the side of her neck and across her jaw, until I reached her mouth, taking her face in my hands and kissing her full on her lips. She returned the kiss a little too eagerly as she grasped my hair in her hands.

I pulled away a second later with a smirk on my face. "You missed me that much?" I teased.

She nodded her head, "More actually, but you wouldn't let me finish," she pouted. I let out a chuckle as I laid my forehead on hers, her face flushed from our kiss.

"I love you, Edward," she sighed.

"And I love you, my beautiful Bella," I replied before placing another kiss on her lips.

The vision ended abruptly, and I stood shocked.

"What was it?" Jasper inquired, eyeing me suspiciously, most likely feeling the confusion and turmoil rolling off of me. I tried to reign in my emotions and make my face as blank as I could muster in the present situation. I threw Alice a pleading look, knowing full well what the rest of the family would say if they knew what she had seen.

"That if Edward doesn't get out of here now, this is going to get out of hand." I mentally thanked her for being so quick on her feet.

"Go, Edward, come back when you've cleared your mind," Carlisle advised. I nodded my head toward him where he stood with Esme close by, with a worried look in her eyes. I gave her a small smile to let her know that I was okay. Then, I started to walk out the door and didn't turn my head to call, "Alice." She promised Jasper that she would return shortly and was by my side in an instant and we were running through the woods.

I ran for as long as I could, as it was one of the only ways could clear my head. Eventually, Alice signaled me to stop.

_Edward, we need to talk._ I halted to a stop in a densely forested area of the woods and sat on a fallen tree stump, placing my head in my hands.

"So much for not interfering," Alice mumbled.

"Please, Alice, I don't need you against me too," I told her without looking at her.

"Actually, I am glad that you finally saw that, I don't know how much longer I would be able to keep those visions from you," she said. My head snapped up and I looked at her.

"You mean to tell me that you have had more visions like _that_?" I asked her in disbelief.

"Yes, that was the sixth one," Alice admitted. I was shocked. I didn't remember consciously making a decision that involved me getting closer to Bella. In fact, I had decided to stay away from her, not put her in dangerous proximity to my venom coated teeth. Then a realization seeped into me.

"Alice, does she know what I am in your visions?" I couldn't bring myself to say her name.

"From how you two talk in them, I assume she knows what we all are," she told me. I had failed. All these years that I had tried to keep me and my family a secret and I had blown it all over one insignificant human girl.

"Well, that is never going to happen, I will not endanger our family," I said with finality. I got up to leave, but Alice pushed me back down.

"Now you just wait Edward Cullen. You are just going to walk back to the house like you never saw any of that? Did you see yourself in that vision? You were _smiling_! I haven't seen you look so carefree in ages, and you are going to throw it all away because you are two stubborn to recognize the truth! Jasper tells me about what you are feeling while you skulk up in your room. You know that unrecognizable emotion that you keep feeling, that irrational urge to save Bella no matter what it costs your family, you can't place that, and you know why, because you have never felt it before. It's _love, _Edward! You are in love with her!"

"I am not sacrificing everything that Carlisle has built for us just because you see something that is impossible and you want me to chase after something that I don't deserve!" I yelled back at her. I had gotten up and was now looking down at her with rage in my eyes. "I have been damned to this life and I do not deserve some one as innocent or special as Bella. I will not ruin her life by pursuing her. I will just leave her alone, and when I graduate, we will all move on and I will never see her again." By the end of my speech I had lost all my rage and an edge of sadness had crept into my voice.

"For once in your life, Edward, don't be so damn stubborn. Esme can't stand to see you alone anymore. Who cares what Bella is, she will make you happy. Please, just listen. Don't pay any attention to Rosalie; she is just jealous that someone has caught your eye. And if you can't do it for Esme's sake, do it for yourself. You deserve to have happiness in your life, no matter how much you deny it. Please, Edward, think about it." Alice gave me leaned up on her toes and gave me a kiss on the cheek before turning around and heading for home.

What Alice had said started to seep into my head and I kept replaying her vision in my head. I paid careful attention to every emotion playing on Bella's and my face. Finally, after what seemed to be hours. I placed the emotion plastered on both of our faces. Hadn't I seen it every day between Carlisle and Esme, Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie? But never had I seen it on my face, so deep and adoring. It was love.

Just thinking of it made a thrill run through me. I couldn't sit still any longer. I ran through the forest, knowing exactly where I was headed, feeling elated at this newly found emotion.


End file.
